Category: Society

We’ve all seen the powerful images of residents in China’s most polluted cities wearing face masks to protect themselves against the dangerous levels of smog. But at last fall’s Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week, designers incorporated the respiratory gear into their shows — highlighting China’s air pollution problem and the government’s failure to improve air quality.

“80 percent of the market value of companies is contained in relationships with its stakeholders,” John Friedman, author of “PR 2.0: How Digital Media Can Help You Build a Sustainable Brand,” told TriplePundit. Therefore it’s vital to build a “strong connection between your digital communications strategy and your sustainability efforts.”

As has been widely reported (including here on TriplePundit), Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff offered vocal opposition to Indiana’s anti-gay law. But his leadership goes beyond his own company’s opposition to the Indiana law. He called on other CEOs to follow suit in opposing the legislation. When businesses and business leaders take action based on core purpose and principles, this is what CSR looks like.

If you’re looking for a place to stay on your next trip to New York City, Airbnb user Jamie has a posting that sounds promising: a “Hot Bedroom w/ Semi-Private Terrace” for only $11. But on closer inspection of the post and accompanying photo, it appears Jamie’s “hot bedroom” is actually the sidewalk under the awning of a Manhattan office building, and Jamie is holding a cardboard sign that reads, “Homeless. Need Money.” This fake Airbnb posting is part of an innovative campaign to raise awareness about the Big Apple’s growing homeless population on the popular housing-sharing platform.

The Holy Land Principles call for ethical standards for American businesses investing in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Their principles are impressive, and the need is there. But are they far-reaching enough?

“We’re expecting to have business superstars when many kids don’t start thinking about business until they are almost 20 years old,” says Matija Goljar, co-founder and CEO of Ustvarjalnik, a Slovenian startup. “You’ll never get a gold medal at the Olympics if the team starts to train when they’re 20 years old.”

Solitude could use some better PR. Sometimes there is simply no substitute for being alone with one’s thoughts — for secluding oneself for the sole purpose of arriving at an important decision undisturbed by the endless stream of arbitrary, uninvited data that assails us in our hyper-connected lives.

The color of food plays a perhaps surprisingly large role in our perceptions of its attractiveness, as well as our expectations of how it will taste. Take salmon, for example. Studies have shown, and salmon prices reflect, our inherent bias and preference for salmon that is orange to reddish in color.

We’ve come a long way, baby — but apparently not far enough when it comes to diversity in corporate America. The stats for women of color are troubling when it comes to holding positions of influence in the country’s largest and most powerful companies.